METRO: Think Outside the Bus

This week we sit down with Chuck Rector, a METRO Board member. Prior to being a Board member Chuck started out as a METRO bus operator, became a supervisor, Director of Operations, and finally the Assistant CEO. From rubber band and Nerf guns, car sickness as a bus operator, evil geese, and winning a lifetime achievement award Chuck's 50 years of dedication to METRO is one for the history books.

Join us this week as we chat with Kadin, an art intern at METRO. He is creating banners for our Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center in downtown Akron. Learn about his process creating a grumpy dad opossum, a trash lovin' racoon and a totally fly bird. Wait...what?

Join Tatia and Molly as they discuss with some of METRO's leadership team about being honored as the Outstanding Public Transportation System in the country. This award is for every single team member and the METRO community and we are super proud. Mic drop...nope, don't drop that mic, Molly likes it too much!

This week we talk with Caitlyn Conley of the Akron History Center. Mickey Mouse gas masks, the modern silver screen, the marble fields of Akron, and Dum Dum suckers are few tidbits in this surprising episode. Just WOW!!!

Downtown Akron is poppin' and the Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP) is the reason why! Join us as we discuss all things downtown Akron with Dominic Caruso, Communications Director of DAP. What is DORA? A punk rock flea market? Dancing? Akron has it all! Grace and Kyle talk about pickles, a pickle crime, about sandwiches, and and so much more. You never know with these two!

This week we chat with the Planning Department on route and service changes starting Sunday, August 17, with more frequency, some earlier hours and more! Also, is it DAYta or DAta, why is planning hanging out with horses, and where is Molly escaping to and is it because she is spicy?

Join us as we chat with Director of Marketing & Events Elena Bell from the Akron Zoo. We learn about bears who topor, (wait, what?), a new baby white-cheeked gibbon, dinosaurs galore, and join us for the Last Mile with Grace & Kyle and their humorous take on the zoo and the Dino Trek exhibit.

This week we chat it up with Eleni Manousogiannakis, Executive Director of Better Kenmore CDC. From First Fridays and holiday events, sparking new business growth, and honoring the past the Better Kenmore CDC is on the move and have become known as Music Row here in Akron. Tune in to hear about all they have to offer and what is happening!

This week we sit down with Alexandra Vukoder
Chief Advancement and Communications Officer with the Akron Art Museum and learn about the current exhibit She Said, She Said. We also dive into all the museum does in and for the community, how you can rent art, chat about Linda (Akron's Mona Lisa) and the Big Pink Q. Grace and Kyle explored the galleries with Jenee Garlando and talk about their experiences. They learned that they like art, wonder if they are like a TedTalk, question insurance options in museums, and discovered TouchPoints on the art.

This week Molly and Tatia chat up the '80s, as that's the theme for this year's Free Fare Weekends on METRO Direct. Jelly shoes were the equalizer and the true start of leveling the playing field and, yes, your mix tape skills were being judged. Tatia was a little punk rock in her hair style and Molly rocked the big Aquanet hair. Then Grace and Kyle's Last Mile takes a look at the Cowbell 7k, Kenmore's vibe, at Pierre's Pizza (Wait... water chestnuts on a pizza?), and police boots become quite the conversation.